No activity on the blog doesn’t necessarily mean no activity. Since my last blog I have done a Pilates class, a very sweaty Aerobics class, taught several hours of ballroom dancing and completed my regular 10,000 steps per day. Nothing much of interest to blog about there though, hence the silence for a few days.

Today, I had hoped to get in a good walk, but of course in addition to normal work  it was RESULTS day for my Psychology students, so I wasn’t able to get out until 4pm and I had calls lined up for the evening with my online students. I wanted a walk that was basically flat where I could walk briskly and get my heart rate up as I hadn’t managed any intensity minutes yet this week. This walk did exactly that and had the added bonus for some of you that it would make an excellent running or jogging route, and you could expand or curtail it in any direction quite easily. You could turn it into a linear walk and get the bus or train back to Port Erin, or stop at the half way point at Croit Y Caley and do the same.

Those of you who follow me on Facebook will know I got absolutely drenched last night on the way home from teaching ballroom dancing. It is only a 5-7 mins walk and I was completely soaked through and there were streams of water on the roads. This afternoon the weather couldn’t be more different and I set out in brilliant sunshine, not a drop of rain in sight. I took the Truggan Road to Port St Mary, then followed the coast up to the Shore Hotel at Gansey, where I turned up to take the road roughly north towards Croit Y Caley.  The first two miles were so lovely. I do like it when the tide is in as it was today. The shoreline looks so perfect without the messy pebbles scattered all over the beach, and today it looked so blue.

Photo: Gansey Bay

Photo: The Mill at Kentraugh

The country lanes to Croit Y Caley are quiet and unspoit but there are no pavements. There are some nice looking traditional houses in this village and they look very cosy. After Croit Y Caley you hit the main back road with all its traffic, but you don’t go far along here, and there is a pavement. At this point you will have walked about 3 miles and you could get the bus back or the train from the Levels.

At the roundabout I turned left, past the tiny but perfectly formed Ballachurry Nature Reserve, and turned right at Kirk Christ, passing by the old cemetery and skirting round the Ponyfields estate in the distance.

All this still on roads,and again no pavement, but there is virtually no traffic at any time on this road.  On meeting the Ballafesson road, I crossed immediately over to join a path going through the Rowany Golf Course. The view towards Fleshwick is stunning, helped of course by the glorious weather. On exiting the Golf Course, I turned towards Port Erin and followed the coast path (passing by my old flat on the cliff with its wonderful bay views) down onto the beach. I stopped at my favourite place where the waves crash against the rocks before continuing walking along the beach and up onto the far prom and the old breakwater, which was not visible at all today. After that, it was just the standard walk home.

As you have read, most of this is on pavements or barely used roads, so you take a pushchair or a wheelchair all the way. If you don’t want to go over the Golf course, you can simply take the road back into Port Erin. You can start the walk by parking in Port Erin, taking the Ballafurt Road from behind the beach and then turning on to St Mary’s Road, which becomes Truggan Road.

 

Not sure when my next blog will be. Sadly, I have a funeral of a very good friend to attend tomorrow, and the weather forecast isn’t great for the weekend, not that that usually puts me off. We’ll see.